Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) Troy Samuel Chang (張天將) became the first Taiwanese to complete the Olympic alpine skiing men's slalom in nearly four decades with a 36th-place finish at the Winter Olympics in Italy on Monday.
Competing in Milano Cortina, the 20-year-old finished the two runs in a combined time of 2 minutes 22.85 seconds.
The last time a male skier from Taiwan completed the event at the Winter Olympics dates back to 1988 when Chen Tong-jong (陳東榮) finished 48th in Calgary, Canada.
Heavy snowfall during the first run led to difficult course conditions, with 57 of the 96 competitors failing to finish.
Chang clocked 1:11.56 in his first run and 1:11.29 in his second.
He admitted feeling nervous after seeing many skiers fail to complete the course, but said he felt relieved when the snowfall eased.
"It was really exhausting, but I knew I had to hang on," he said.
Chang said his performance was a way of giving back to his family for their unwavering support, adding that he felt proud of himself for persevering with the sport since childhood.
